The Waikato region’s biggest roading project yet is hitting full steam ahead this summer as works are under way in the Hamilton, Huntly, Longswamp and Rangiriri sections of the Waikato Expressway.
On the Hamilton section, more than 4 million cubic metres – or 114 rugby fields piled 5 metres high – of soil is shifting over the next two seasons.
At the peak, there will be more than 150 pieces of machinery on the 15km Huntly section, including 100-tonne dump trucks, a fleet of motor scrapers and an 180-tonne excavator. It came on site in pieces, and seven trucks were needed to move the pieces into place. It’s huge bucket bites off 25 tonnes of earth at a time.
The NZ Transport Agency’s Waikato State Highways Manager, Niclas Johansson, says a lot is going on.
“We need the community and visitors to take extra care when they are driving around the sites as there are speed restrictions, new road alignments, temporary roads and other hazards they should look out for,” says Johansson.
The Huntly project is into its second season of earthworks – and it will be a big one with the target 2 million cubic metres between October and May.
By comparison, in the project’s first season just over 500,000 cubic metres were moved.
Up north, the end is in sight for the 4.8km Rangiriri section, which began in 2013. The project, which includes full interchanges at Rangiriri and Te Kauwhata turn off, will be completed in April next year.
Just to the north, the Longswamp section, between Hampton Downs and the Te Kauwhata interchange, is getting started, with a completion date of 2018.
